Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2021 i Personal Defense World

CHOOSING A FIREARM TO CARRY CONCEALED is an individual decision that goes beyond personal comfort and fit. The ultimate decision on what to carry should be made based on research, detailed thought and taking the time to educate oneself on the potential requirements and carry environment. I have worked with many people who made the decision to carry a firearm, wanting to take charge of their own protection. This is admirable, but requires careful planning, training and understanding the platform to ensure a positive outcome. Lack of training or understanding of the carry firearm can be just as dangerous as not having a firearm at all. From platform, to caliber, size and manufacturer, there are numerous options to choose from. The firearm you choose should be applicable to the level…

n It’s no secret that women have dealt with their fair share of struggles concerning everyday carry (EDC), including pockets that are not deep enough or even non-functional, and therefore unable to hold any EDC tools, not even flashlights or pocketknives. In many cases, there are no pockets at all. And women’s pants sometimes do not accommodate proper EDC belts and holsters. The list of issues goes on and on. Fortunately, much has recently been done to counter these issues, and companies in firearms-related industries have developed clothing, products and gear specifically designed to give women who carry better options. But the men in the firearms community have needs as well. Believe it or not, men have to deal with their own struggles when it comes to EDC. One of…

Not long ago I reviewed the newly released Springfield Armory Ronin. Boasting a forged slide, barrel and frame with a retro two-tone finish, the gun is as handsome as it is accurate. Given the suggested retail price of just $849, I wondered how many corners Springfield cut to offer such a beautiful and well-fitted 1911, comparable in many ways to a custom gun. Turns out Springfield Armory didn’t cut any corners. Somehow, they’ve been able to break the code and produce a custom gun at a production-gun price. I really hated returning that test and evaluation (T&E) gun. My full-sized Ronin, with its forged steel frame, was chambered in 9mm. But it shot more like a .22 LR, with very little disruption of the sights, and grouped most loads right…

IF you haven’t had the chance yet to play with a Canik TP9 variant—more specifically, the Canik TP9 Elite Sub-Compact—we strongly suggest you do so. Let’s back up a moment so we can all be on the same page. Bear with me here. Canik is a firearms manufacturer with deep roots in Turkey. The Turks have been known for their attention to detail when it comes to their firearms. They’ve been doing this since the 16th century. We can remember when Caniks first made their way across the ocean and into the showrooms of American gun shops. Back in those days, Canik was an entry-level pistol brand at an inexpensive price and loosely resembled the Walther P99. Then, someone over at Canik got really serious and revamped things on their…

Goncealed carry is not a new concept, but the last several years have seen an incredible growth in the number of people who carry. There are obvious factors that drive this, but the number one reason is safety. A good firearm provides a sense of security unlike anything else. Inside the concealed-carry world there are countless options from micro-blasters to full-sized hand cannons. As a long-time instructor, I have seen both ends of the spectrum in classes. As students come and go, one gun has become a staple in the concealed-carry world: the Smith & Wesson Shield. Originally released in 2012, this small, sleek pistol has become one of the most popular carry guns of all time. In fact, in 2019 Smith & Wesson had already sold 3 million Shields…

While some defense-minded handgun carriers are more than happy to pack medium- to large-sized pistols and revolvers for their everyday carry (EDC) guns, in my estimation it is the smaller compact and subcompact pistols and revolvers that predominate. Certainly, there could be seasonal considerations—it’s easier to conceal a large handgun under a winter coat. But my contention is that you are going to carry what you are going to carry and, in most cases, size matters. Weight matters, too. One must also consider extra ammunition, a tactical light and/ or a practical knife. As a retired law enforcement officer (LEO), I am going to carry a concealed handgun, no doubt about it. However, as I age, I have become less inclined to carry 5 pounds of gun and gear in…

One harsh reality of armed combat is the fact that a great deal of it takes place at very close quarters. While there is no central databank relative to armed citizens, we may get some perspective by looking at the police experience. For many years, a number of groups have tracked police action shootings, and the information collected tells us that most of these events take place at relatively short range. Just over 90 percent occur at distances closer than 7 yards, and about half the time the assailant has invaded personal space and is close enough to reach out and touch. Exactly what implications might this have for the armed citizen? First, consider that the police have a very different role, which includes interdicting violent crime. In many instances,…

Gone are the days of having few options when it comes to where and how you will carry a concealed firearm. Years ago, gun owners had limited choices beyond the standard belt-and-holster combination. For women, this was even more difficult, considering the wide variation of women’s clothing styles, and very few of these accommodating a belt. Nowadays, the situation is vastly different. If anything, we have more manufacturers providing options than we have time to learn about them. From leggings and undergarments with built-in holsters, to accessories that eliminate the need for a belt altogether, the options for on-body carry are almost limitless. Off-body carry has also gone through a revolution, offering products other than just basic handbags. Laptop cases, briefcases, gym bags, backpacks and various other types of off-body…

I’ve been writing for gun magazines for 50 years now and have been an expert witness in courts on weapons and shooting cases for 41. That has allowed me to see both sides of the “customize your defensive firearm” issue. In this highly polarized and often uninformed/misinformed debate, can customizing hurt you in court? The real answer is, “That depends.” WHY IS IT AN ISSUE? You’ll hear people say, “A good shoot is a good shoot.” False: It’s not “a good shoot” until the courts—including, sometimes, the court of public opinion in the world you and your family hope to return to—have determined that it is. If you haven’t seen wrongful prosecutions or greed-based lawsuits over self-defense shooting cases, you haven’t been looking. In a criminal case, the real issue…

There is an undeniable tendency for people to gravitate toward well-known brands for their firearms purchases. It is a sound thing to do, but I have always encouraged shooters to educate themselves on everything in the market and make a choice based on a wider number of options. There are many companies in the firearms world that might not be household names, yet they produce good products. One such company is Sarsilmaz. Known better as SAR, it’s a 140-year-old weapons manufacturer based in Istanbul, Turkey. SAR began as a small shotgun shop, but has grown into one of the largest firearms manufacturers in the world. SAR supplies weapons for the Turkish military, as well as law enforcement agencies around the world. Their product lineup is impressive and ranges from handguns…

One of my favorite firearms debates is the effectiveness of .22 rimfire rounds for self-defense. Admittedly, .22s are not my first choice, nor even my recommendation for the “little old lady who lives by herself.” However, there is no denying that a .22 is more than capable of stopping a threat—a big threat—as demonstrated by Ms. Bella Twin of Alberta, Canada in 1953, when she dropped a world-record grizzly bear with a single .22 Long. She accomplished this task by placing the shot in the weakest spot on the bear’s skull, immobilizing it, immediately before following it up with another half dozen shots just to make sure it was dead. I don’t blame her—the beast was estimated at over 1,000 pounds, and .22 ammunition is cheap. On the darker side…

An excellent tool does its best work in skilled hands, but it can often help less-skilled hands do better work. The Walther Q4 Steel Frame is one of those excellent tools. At first sight, this black, striker-fired, 16-shot pistol chambered in 9mm looks like a Walther PPQ, but there’s a lot more going on here than meets the eye. Despite a few decades of success, there are some folks who will never accept the validity of polymer-framed guns. Steel’s high strength allows guns made of it to be physically smaller than polymer-framed ones, and its weight helps to soak up recoil energy. But greater weight is also steel’s disadvantage, and the consumer self-defense and military markets have largely drifted to the lighter weight of polymers. There is an economic factor at…